PRESS CONTACT: Camille Spaccavento Director of Marketing and Communications 503.290.0022 [email protected]

High Res photos may be obtained at: http://www.obt.org/wp- content/uploads/2018/05/OBT_2018_Dancer_Promotion_Press_Release_Photos_HighRes.zip

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Portland, OR (May 29, 2018)

OREGON THEATRE PROMOTIONS ANNOUNCED ALONG WITH OTHER ROSTER CHANGES

OBT promotes four dancers, welcomes six dancers, and bids farewell to six departing dancers

Oregon Ballet Theatre (OBT) Artistic Director Kevin Irving has announced a number of important changes to the Company’s dancer roster effective at the beginning of the 2018/19 season, which opens with the first full production premiere in the United States of August Bournonville’s Napoli, October 2018.

“It’s one of the greatest pleasures an Artistic Director has to reward current dancers with promotions and to welcome new dancers to the company,” he said. “These changes reflect the growing strength of the OBT roster and will help us reach even higher levels of artistry. We also thank departing dancers for their contributions to this Company and wish them great success in their future endeavors.”

Dancer promotions include Anza Capizzi, from Soloist to Principal Dancer; Katherine Monogue, Company Artist to Soloist; Kelsie Nobriga, Company Artist to Soloist; and Theodore Watler, Apprentice to Company Artist.

Capizzi (formerly Deguchi), from Nagoya, Japan, joined OBT as an apprentice in 2003 and was promoted to soloist in 2007. She distinguished herself as a ravishing Juliet in OBT Founding Artistic Director James Canfield’s Romeo and Juliet (2016) and, most recently, in the title role of Septime Webre’s blockbuster Alice (in wonderland). Monogue, company member since 2014 and an apprentice before that, exploded on the stage in William Forsythe’s In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated (2016)—in the role made famous by Sylvie Guillem—and has proven herself a vibrant Dew Drop in George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker along with numerous other

1 parts. Nobriga, also previously an apprentice with OBT, created a searing image in Nicolo Fonte’s Beautiful Decay (2016) and made a tremendous debut as the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker, dancing with OBT Principal Dancer Peter Franc. Watler, originally engaged as a member of OBT2, the company’s junior performing ensemble, has fast-tracked himself first into an apprentice position and now as a full company member.

Joining the Company are Matthew Pawlicki-Sinclair as Soloist; Abigail Diedrich and Hannah Davis as Company Artists; and Theodore Skye Stouber, Zuzu Metzler, and Marc LaPierre as Apprentices.

Pawlicki-Sinclair has performed with great distinction since 2016 with the . Stouber is a Portland native who previously performed with OBT in Alice (in wonderland). Both Diedrich and Davis are graduates of OBT2 and current apprentices with the company earning their first professional contracts. Metzler is a current member of OBT2 and a former OBT School student. LaPierre joins the company from the .

Dancers departing OBT are Principal Dancer Jacqueline Straughan, Soloist Martina Chavez, Company Artists Keenan English, Avery Reiners and Paige Wilkie, and Apprentice Andrew Wingert.

OREGON BALLET THEATRE 2018/19 DANCER ROSTER

Principals Company Artists Ansa Capizzi Thomas Baker Xuan Cheng Hannah Davis Peter Franc Abigail Diedrich Chauncey Parsons Adam Hartley Brian Simcoe Makino Hayashi Christopher Kaiser Soloists Jessica Lind Eva Burton Kimberly Nobriga Katherine Monogue Emily Parker Kelsie Nobriga Colby Parsons Michael Linsmeier Theodore Watler Matthew Pawlicki-Sinclair Apprentices Alexa Domenden Marc LaPierre Zuzu Metzler Theodore Skye Stouber

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Dancer photos may be obtained at: http://www.obt.org/wp- content/uploads/2018/05/OBT_2018_Dancer_Promotion_Press_Release_Photos_HighRes.zip

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ABOUT OREGON BALLET THEATRE Oregon Ballet Theatre is committed to sharing our passion for the expressive power of ballet, inspiring an enduring appreciation of dance, and connecting in meaningful ways to our community through excellence in performance, training and educational programs. OBT is the largest professional in Oregon, employing nearly 200 people and attracting artists from around the globe with a reputation for excellence. The company is rooted in the traditions of classical ballet, with a repertoire that ranges from the great classics to premieres from some of the most exciting choreographic voices in the field today. Our mission is dedicated to the vitality of, and access to, world-class ballet performance and training in our region. Founded in 1989 by James Canfield, a former principal dancer with the , OBT quickly developed a distinctive style and unique repertoire that grew to comprise over 80 . From 2003-2012, under the direction of , OBT presented nearly 350 performances and added 51 ballets, including 20 world premieres, to its diverse body of work. In June 2013, we were delighted to name Kevin Irving as the company’s third Artistic Director. Irving brings over 25 years of experience performing with and managing world-renowned cultural organizations and dance companies, including The Göteborg Ballet, , and Compañia Nacional de Danza (Spain). His tenure has been marked by a commitment to collaborative partnerships with other Portland artists and organizations, including the Portland Art Museum, Multnomah County Library, Kenji Bunch, and Pink Martini. He has expanded the company’s classical repertoire – with the premieres of Ben Stevenson’s Cinderella, August Bournonville’s Napoli, and Irving’s own update of Swan Lake while preserving OBT’s legacy and restoring major works such as James Canfield’s Romeo and Juliet. At the same time, he continues to build a diverse body of work with world premieres from internationally acclaimed contemporary choreographers such as Nacho Duato, William Forsythe, Nicolo Fonte, Darrell Grand Moultrie, and Helen Pickett.

OBT’s investment in the community extends far beyond our stages and studios, as we seek to enrich the community and invest in our art form. We provide ballet training to over 800 students through the OBT School, which attracts dancers from as far away as Spain and Japan, and through OBT2, our junior company, which brings professional level performance to underserved audiences throughout Portland.

Our robust Education Outreach programming impacts nearly 40,000 people annually, including thousands of K-12 youth across 21 school districts. Ongoing efforts to ensure equitable access include: scholarships to OBT School, field trip transportation for low income and Title 1 schools, and our Share the Wonder campaign, which provides thousands of tickets to our mainstage performances for those in need.

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